Mo. preparing for possibility of state furloughs

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Some additional Missouri employees could face furloughs if the federal government doesn’t resolve a budget stalemate this week.

State budget director Linda Luebbering (LOO’-bur-ing) says Missouri has enough money to continue paying its federally funded employees through October. But she says that if Congress and President Barack Obama don’t agree this week on a plan to end a partial shutdown of the federal government, Missouri will have to start firming up its next round of employee furloughs.

So far, about 200 employees at the Missouri National Guard have been furloughed.

Luebbering said the next round of furloughs probably would affect fewer than 100 employees.